In different types of work, it is usual to employ safety eyewear, for example to protect the eyes against spatter, dust, radiation etc. A simultaneous use of safety eyewear and hearing protectors—a not uncommon combination—entails a risk that the noise damping inside the hearing protection will be insufficient, since the sidebars or bow of the eyewear extend in between the head of the wearer and the sealing rings of the hearing protection. Another drawback in normal safety eyewear is that they are not often readily available to the user and, as a result, are forgotten. This in turn implies that the risks that would otherwise be avoided by using safety eyewear are still prevalent.
Since the user of the safety eyewear also in quite a number of cases uses a safety helmet in addition to any possible hearing protection, it happens that the safety eyewear is disposed on the safety helmet and is raisable to the space between the helmet and its interior webbing. The webbing of the helmet rests against the head of the user and ensures a good fit on the user's head. Possibly, the webbing is provided with devices for fixing the helmet onto the head of the user.
One prior art solution for safety eyewear entails that the eyewear or glasses, which normally consists of a transparent panel of a plastic material, is provided with grooves at the side edges. Projecting lugs or beads on the helmet webbing are slidable in these grooves so that the safety eyewear is movable in a sliding guide.
A problem with this type of safety eyewear is that it may be difficult to raise or lower, since it shows a tendency to jam if the force for moving the eyewear upwards or downwards is not uniformly applied, in other words in particular if the wearer uses only one hand to raise or lower the eyewear. Another drawback in this construction is that it only displays two entirely stable positions, i.e. the wholly raised position and the wholly lowered position, respectively. The positions between, i.e. along the sliding guide of the panel are not stable. In addition, these positions lie along a completely predetermined path.
In another solution, an arm is provided between the panel and a part of the webbing of the helmet. The arm is pivotal at each end, i.e. on the one hand at the connection to the panel, and, on the other hand, at the connection to the webbing. Possibly, several arms may be disposed adjacent one another, in order to increase stability and the mechanical strength of the construction. This protective panel also moves along a predetermined path, and the possibilities for individual adjustment or adaptation of the safety eyewear are rather limited.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,177 discloses a solution where a set of safety eyewear is secured by an elastic band direct on the hoods of hearing protectors. This solution is best suited for uninterrupted use of the safety eyewear, since there is no natural storage position. The eyewear closely approaches the user's face and the pressure against the face may be perceived by many as uncomfortable in the long term.
There is thus a need in the art to realise a set of raisable safety eyewear which makes possible better adaptation to the individual wearer for increased comfort and, as a result, a greater readiness to use the eyewear.